One person has died and several others were injured after an incident involving the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia in Mableton, Georgia.
Cobb County police said officers were called to the theme park at about 3.58pm on Monday, October 12, after reports of an emergency involving a roller coaster. Detectives from the department’s Major Crimes Unit are investigating.
Witnesses told local media they saw a rider fall from the Goliath attraction into a wooded area near the ride. Police have not released the identity of the person who died or confirmed the circumstances of the fall.
Riders who remained on the coaster were later escorted from the track by park staff using harnesses and an emergency stairway system. Several people were reported injured, although authorities had not provided further details about their conditions.
Witnesses describe Goliath incident
Brittany Landry, from Winder, said she was waiting to ride the Georgia Scorcher when she saw what appeared to be a person propelled from the Goliath train.
She said the object fell into the woods, roughly 150ft away, and that other visitors began running towards the area before park staff blocked access.
“I just see somebody fly out and just fly into the woods,” Landry told local television station FOX 5 Atlanta.
Another visitor, Deysi Gonzalez, said she was standing in the queue for the Georgia Scorcher with relatives when other guests began shouting that someone had fallen from the ride.
Gonzalez said she became particularly distressed because a child in her family had recently ridden Goliath and appeared to be a similar size to early descriptions of the victim.
Both witnesses said they had previously felt safe on the attraction. Landry described the incident as a tragedy that could have involved any rider.
Officials have not confirmed claims made by witnesses about the ride’s restraint system, and the cause of the incident remains under investigation.
Six Flags and Mableton officials respond
Six Flags Over Georgia said it was “deeply saddened” by the guest incident and offered condolences to the victim’s family, friends and loved ones.
The park said it was supporting guests and team members affected by what happened. It added that its staff and local authorities had responded immediately and that it was co-operating fully with the police investigation.
“Out of respect for the family’s privacy, we will not be sharing additional details at this time,” a park spokesperson said.
Mableton mayor Michael Owens also expressed his condolences and said the city’s public safety director was coordinating with Cobb County Police and park security.
“We are grateful to the personnel responding to this incident and will continue to support coordination with the appropriate authorities,” Mr Owens said.
The park is in Mableton but uses an Austell postal address. It was not immediately clear whether other attractions would remain open following the incident.
Investigation under way
Goliath is a 200ft-high hypercoaster with a top speed of about 70mph. The ride includes an initial 170ft drop, a further 175ft descent and a 540-degree spiral, with riders subjected to forces of up to 4G.
Cobb County police said further information would be released when it had been confirmed. The department’s investigation is continuing, with park officials declining to comment further while the victim’s relatives are notified.
